3 months ago
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Same city, aforesaid court, aforesaid tourney — but a antithetic result. Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, runner-up successful the 2025 acme clash, returned to Mumbai and flipped the script, brushing speech Austria’s Lilli Tagger 6-4, 6-3 successful the last to assistance the L&T Mumbai Open 125K Series rubric astatine the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) centre tribunal present connected Sunday.
Second clip was so the charm. After knocking connected the doorway past year, she kicked it down. The 23-year-old Thai delivered a composed performance, matching Tagger’s powerfulness changeable for changeable earlier gradually wresting power and forcing the Austrian into long, draining rallies nether blistery and humid conditions.
Tagger came retired guns blazing, firing 2 booming aces down the ‘T’ successful the opening game. Sawangkaew absorbed the aboriginal pressure, holding service with clever placement and saltation to level proceedings. What followed was a gripping see-saw battle, with Tagger unleashing her dense service and crisp backhand volleys, portion Sawangkaew countered with deft slices, feathered driblet shots and precise tribunal positioning.
Locked astatine 4-4, Sawangkaew raised her level successful the ninth game, engaging the 17-year-old Austrian successful an aggravated baseline speech earlier breaking serve. She closed retired the opening acceptable successful benignant with a cleanable cross-court winner.
Carrying the momentum into the 2nd set, Sawangkaew mixed gait and interaction to support Tagger connected the move. Her variations earned a important interruption successful the 5th game, and she held service adjacent to spell 4-2 up.
Tagger refused to slice quietly, responding with 2 stunning aces, but Sawangkaew remained unflappable. She held service comfortably earlier delivering the decisive stroke — breaking Tagger erstwhile much to seal the rubric successful consecutive sets.
